Coconut sugar: benefits and harms

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

On the shelves of shops more and more exotic products appear, which Russian consumers have not even heard of before. This is how coconut sugar appeared, consumed for centuries in Asian countries, but little known in Russia. Marketers assure of its incredible benefits, doctors refute this. How to figure out what kind of product it is?

Production of coconut sugar

Produce coconut sugar in Asian countries, mainly in Thailand and Indonesia. It is entirely manual labor organized on coconut farms. First, nectar is collected: flower buds are cut right on the palm tree and containers are hung under them. The juice collected in them is poured into a vat, where it is heated over a small fire. Further, the brew is poured into two more vats alternately with a stronger fire. Containers are heated on a fire, firewood for which is waste - coconut shells and dry palm leaves.

Only women work in these factories. The cooking process is continuous: after pouring the nectar from the first vat into ita new one is poured, and so on in a circle. As a result, all excess moisture is evaporated, the resulting mass cools, hardens and is divided into bars. After packaging in bags, the product is ready for sale. In the markets of Asia, such sugar is a popular commodity that has been known for hundreds of years. In our country, this is a rarity and exotic. You can buy coconut sugar in the store in the ethnic cuisine departments or order it online. Of course, and its price is several times higher than that of a regular white product.

Benefit: myth or reality?

The main advantage of coconut sugar is its naturalness, untouched by industrial production. Like many centuries ago, workers mine it with their own hands. Minimal heat treatment preserves all useful trace elements. The product contains B vitamins, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium. Sugar contains beneficial amino acids and antioxidants.

But still, scientists disagree about the benefits of coconut sugar. Although there are many useful substances in it, they are in small quantities, and its main component is carbohydrates. It would be more correct to talk not about the benefits of coconut sugar, but about its harmlessness. Indeed, it is less harmful to he alth and figure than regular sugar. This is due to the low glycemic index.

Glycemic index

All foods have different effects on the body. It depends on the content of fast or slow carbohydrates. Some quickly increase blood sugar levels due to instantaneous conversion to glucose. resultis the formation of new fats. Others break down within a few hours. Glucose enters the blood in small doses, does not turn into fats, but serves as a source of energy and is completely consumed. Such products are he althier for the body.

The glycemic index was introduced to indicate the rate of carbohydrate breakdown. Coconut sugar has a low value, and this is its benefit. When consuming the same amount of sugar, coconut will cause less harm than the usual white in Russia. But only under the condition of its moderate use, since, despite the low glycemic index, its calorie content is high.

Calories

With food, fats, proteins and carbohydrates enter the body. They provide the energy necessary for the movement and functioning of internal organs. This energy is calculated in calories. If a person consumes too high-calorie food or leads an inactive lifestyle, all calories do not have time to be converted into energy and are deposited in the form of fat. According to this indicator, coconut sugar, whose calorie content is 382 kcal per 100 g, practically does not differ from ordinary sugar (398 kcal per 100 g). This is a lot, so the consumption of such a product should be limited, regardless of its origin.

All about harm

There is an opinion that coconut sugar is harmless and can be a better substitute for other types of sugar. Maybe it is so, but you should not treat it as a he althy product and include it in the diet in immense quantities, you do not need to “eat with spoons”. Despitelow glycemic index and a lot of useful trace elements, it's still sugar, consisting of carbohydrates. It is not recommended for people with diabetes, although you can sometimes hear the opposite in advertising.

Coconut sugar tastes less sweet than beet sugar, but has the same calorie content, so it may take more when consumed to get the usual taste. This must be avoided, otherwise the body will receive extra calories that will be deposited as fat. It is impossible to unambiguously characterize coconut sugar: there are benefits and harms in it, but when used in small quantities, they will not have a special effect on the body. If it is not possible to completely abandon the consumption of sugar, coconut in this case is a good option. Looking for the exotic will have to spend money. The price of coconut sugar is several times higher than regular sugar.

Reviews

So is coconut sugar good or bad? Customer reviews of this product are positive. Everyone notes its pleasant, unusual taste, not cloying, some compare it with honey. Sugar is added to tea and coffee like regular sugar, but many note that it makes the drink cloudy. It has no contraindications for use in children. The only negative is its overpriced price, but if used sparingly, a package of bulk sugar will last for several months. Popular brands of coconut sugar: Tardo`s Best Organic, Nutiva, Tropical Nutrition, Sweet Tree.

Use

The taste of coconut sugar remindscaramel. In appearance, these are small brown crystals. In fact, it is candied palm nectar. It is mainly used in cooking for the preparation of confectionery, it can give the dish a slight caramel or nutty flavor.

Pairs well with coffee. It can be used in the preparation of desserts, cold and hot drinks, as well as cocktails. Adds an interesting touch to candy and ice cream. You can sweeten their porridge. Some manufacturers produce sugar in the form of a paste. In this form, it can simply be spread on bread or cookies.

What to cook with coconut sugar? Muesli

It remains to find out the most important thing about coconut sugar: how to use it in cooking at home. There is a simple breakfast option. Pour oatmeal on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at a temperature of 150-170 degrees for 20 minutes. For 300 g of flakes, 100 g of dried fruits and nuts are taken, and more is possible - to taste. The flakes are mixed, nuts are added and sprinkled with coconut sugar. Dry for another 15 minutes.

Next, you should lay out dried fruits, you can add candied fruits and leave for another 5 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven, cool and transfer to a storage container. It is recommended to use as muesli with milk, yogurt, juice.

Cream for dessert

You can make custard as follows: 200 ml of coconut milk is taken for 2 egg yolks (if you can’t buy, you canuse cow's), and 20 g each of coconut sugar, flour and powdered sugar. Mix egg yolks, powdered sugar and flour. Dissolve sugar in hot milk, mix everything, put on low heat. Cook until thick, cool. Use to decorate a cake or as a topping for pastries.